Birth Of A Raven
by SotF
Summary: The future is changing, Xander's destiny is to be revealed and a title is to be earned. A sacred duty to complete and the Raven known as Paladin is the only one who knows how to stop it. Abandoned for the Time being
1. Remembrance

AN: No I have not forgotten my other stories, I'm having problems with my laptop where I have all my notes and such as well as completed chapters for the Speed Freak Series, Xanders Final Fantasy, and Summoners Chronicles held hostage on my laptop and it's being repaired. A friend has been kind enough to let me use his computer to write on for now, but without the work I've done already, I'm not planning to have wasted that time. So I am working on something else that has struck my fancy for the time being, namely due to the lack of said laptop. I went through some of my games and started up on Armored Core 2 and Another Age, well, this is the result of that  
  
I am trying to figure out a plausible reason for Xander to have access to a core and as such I dragged in a few elements from elsewhere, such as the pendant crystal form of Escaflowne in the movie version and having the Cores be a mix of magic and technology. Eventually I plan to incorporate parts of Stargate into this if I get far enough. Built by the ancients, the Ravens are the ones with Cores and they hunt each other for parts, but there are a few people who are recovering the secrets that first built the mechanical warriors. I've also changed the way Cores are equipped, they can carry both a blade and a shield.  
  
Also, most of this chapter alternates between two points, one a duel that will be explained better later on, and the other is the beginning.

xXx  
  
_"All they think they know of me is a lie, a carefully constructed falsehood that I use to protect them from my life. I alone know the truth of the matter, none other know it all, a few have suspicions, but none know as of yet. To them, I am the 'normal' one, the one without a path, without a gift or a curse, but it is my choice what I wish to do. Unfortunately for them, they are wrong, I do have a path to walk, one that carries a destiny. I am far from what they define as 'normal' although I am still human. It is rather pathetic that we deal with monsters daily and yet they cannot see that I am not the same as those who hide from the truth. I am no slayer or witch; I am not a watcher nor a werewolf, or even a cursed vampire. I am first and foremost what I truly am beneath the mask, I am a Raven."  
  
-From the Journals of Alexander Lavelle Harris, Callsign Paladin_  
  
xXx

The rain was bad as the two heavily armored forms faced off, one a dark color with a white patch showing the insignia of crossed silver katana's on its shoulders. The other metal behemoth was blood red and sported the sigil of an angel carrying guns.  
  
The dark colored one was smaller, but designed for speed and agility, it's name was Desperado, and it's pilot was a dark haired man who hovered impatiently at the controls.  
  
His foe was known only as Ares, a formidable Raven, one of the few who could claim the title through he millennia, but so was Paladin, the pilot of Desperado.  
  
The two were off like lightning, jets cackling with blue light as they charged through the streets, the impacts of footfalls shattering windows.

xXx   
  
A dark haired man stood against the rising sun, his thoughts in the clouds, a new dawn and with it a new day. He stared at the shimmering crystal orb he carried, what he knew to be a Core Crystal, the thing that gave a raven his powers to fight.  
  
His mission was simple, keep this core a secret, hide it away for the world was not ready to face it as of yet. The others were coming and he would have to fight them now. The bindings cast by the ancient technomancers coming to an end and the birth of the foretold age of strife beginning.  
  
His mother had told him of this, of his destiny to guard the secret of the Armored Cores, and had taught him how to use them in battle, her Angel against his Desperado. His father, while not the best of fathers, was a capable technomancers, working through the secrets. His family was not something that he could say was something he enjoyed, but he knew why they were together now.  
  
xXx

Energy blades ignited with the sizzle of vaporizing rain water and the thunder crack of their impact was heard for miles around.  
  
People panicked and screamed, the machine menaces having appeared out of nowhere.  
  
"You're good Ares," Xander roared, "But not good enough, the dragon is not being loosed upon this world!"  
  
He brought the mechs knee up, slamming it into the torso of his foe with a boost assisted attack as his moonlight pressed back his foes saber.  
  
For a moment Paladin thought that he had heard Ares scream of pain as he leaped upwards, jets carrying him skywards as arcane symbols flashed over his eyes, the fusion of magic and machinery aiding him as he switched weapons to his rifle, the dreaded Karasawa.  
  
xXx

He thought of the looks and threats he would receive from his friends if he told them that he to had a destiny. For a moment he considered it, but his thoughts sought out the last night, they had ordered him away for his own 'protection.'  
  
What humored him is that apart from not needing help, he only gave it willingly and without hesitation before. A brief vision of Buffy demanding that he relinquish his charge to her and give up his heritage to be 'normal' and being the end of the line.  
  
A smirk crossed his lips as he remembered another lesson, only those with the blood in them could handle an Armored Core. Ancient blood magic hid the secrets to the use of them by others for millennia, since even before the first Slayer was called. Then the Cores were used to fight demons unlike those alive today.  
  
The bursts of laser fire scattered against a quickly raised shield as the Desperado touched down. The exhaust of both Cores was flooding the ground level of the streets with a haze.  
  
Ares switched to missiles, firing off a salvo the instant he got a lock, two multi-missiles bursting into eight in mid-flight.  
  
"Damn it, so you want to play hardball," Xander muttered as he armed his countermeasures, a matching number of smaller, quicker warheads firing at the bigger missiles, "I'll play hardball right back!"  
  
The air blossomed into fireballs that rained to earth between them, missiles meeting in the middle with the warheads. Ruined buildings caught ablaze with the cinders among the nearly destroyed downtown LA.  
  
He groaned as the light burned his eyes, but he thumbed his energy blade back on as the form of Ares burst through the flames, saber ready to strike like an ancient samurai.  
  
xXx

He smiled slightly as thought turned to the mayors planned ascension, he knew what it was, but didn't plan on sharing what he knew with the others. It was a Raven's destiny to fight demons, and what Wilkins was planning on becoming was the very thing that had been the trials of the ancient Ravens, the ones with the title of Ninebreaker, ones who fought against the greatest of demons and won.  
  
He was already a knight by the old ways, but was hesitant to claim it outright, but it became his Callsign in a way, Angelus had declared rightly, he was a White Knight, but what the vampire didn't know was that it didn't stop there, he was Paladin, a Core Ace before he turned ten.  
  
What had intrigued his family most was the uniform he had worn that Halloween had released the possession, he discovered that the man who wore it had been a Raven, one of the lost ones, and with those memories of the clan, he gained access to a second Core alongside his Desperado and the secret core named the Dragon.  
  
In just over twenty-four hours he would, with witnesses, prove he deserved the title he desired. He would become the first Ninebreaker in two hundred and fifty generations.

xXx   
  
Paladin twirled in midair, the laser cannon lowering before him and locking onto Ares, who backed away, shock evident in his motions.  
  
"Playtimes officially over," he said as his thumb hit the firing stud, "Sayonara sucker!"  
  
The blue burst was partially intercepted by his foes energy shield, but it overloaded it and burnt through the arm, dropping the damaged metal to the ground to dissolve into part shards that lay there. The beam also tore into the left leg of the machine, melting armor and exposing the inner workings, as well as dropping it to the ground.  
  
"For the way of the Raven," he whispered by way of the ancient creed, bringing the beam saber up into position.

xXx   
  
His mind alit upon the thoughts of his friends faces when they saw how he planned on taking down his foe. A hundred ton mechanical armor empowered by ancients spells and technology before the so called shadow men even conceived of their slayers.  
  
Xander sighed slightly; truth became shrouded in the mists of time to make a jumble of the reality of what was. Armored Cores became giants and knights that fought it out in the distant past or even gods in their course of tales. They became myth themselves and only recently had the battles between them become something else, the ancient dueling grounds returning to light as the earth was a hard place to hide the destruction of miles around.  
  
He stared at the core crystal of the sacred core. The one he was charged to protect at all cost unless it became the final option to save the world.  
  
No Raven would use it unless that was the case and yet all desired it, but Xander did not wish for it, it was his duty, his mission. He would not betray his ancestors and what they had fought for.  
  
For a brief moment he was tempted, to see this mythic Armored Core for himself. The last Core made by the ancients before the fall.  
  
It had never been used and the wisest at the time said that it's power should only be called forth at a time of great need.  
  
Several times people believed that the time was upon them, and many times they had failed. The powers contained by the Dragon core to strong for them to withstand.  
  
His mind touched on the ones who tried, several had become famous for it, Merlin had died when he attempted to access it, the arcane power frying the great wizard like an egg on a stove. His namesake, Alexander the Great, had also tried and failed in the attempt. It was not worth death or insanity to just see the greatest wonder of the world.  
  
His mind knew that eventually, the Armored Core would be revealed, he hoped not to know what could call forth enough need to call it out. He had seen enough threats to the world that terrified him, but none had required the awesome powers of the Dragon.  
  
Then a peace settled within him, he would be ready in the morn to fight as he was destined to, either he or the mayor would die, his instincts said that it was still a tossup, and his mother would be ready to join the fight if needed. Members of three other clans would be there as well, invited under the guise of relatives to see what would happen.  
  
A wide smile crossed Paladin's lips, he would be ready, nothing could defeat him, at least nothing had succeeded thus far, and nothing ever would. He was Paladin, he was the hope of his family, he would not let down his ancestors who died in this fight.

xXx   
  
"Game over," he whispered as he drove the blade down, tearing through the cockpit of Ares.  
  
An explosion surrounded him, spreading outwards all around. The remaining structures were ripped apart as if they were made of building blocks during a child's tantrum.  
  
He had survived again to fight another day, and as he focused, the core crystal reacting and resonating for a mere moment.  
  
Then it all began to fade around him, consuming the machine and hiding it, leaving Xander standing there holding the Core Crystal in a steady hand amidst the ruins.  
  
His eyes meticulously scanned for fallen part shards and most importantly his foes Core Crystal. It wouldn't do to have them on the loose in this world, he would take no chances that a demon or warlock would happen to hold the keys to the ancient blood magic that bound the Raven's to their cores. Each one gaining one to start with and more as they won victories.  
  
Xander smiled to himself, the Paladin was still undefeated, the true fighter of this time.

xXx   
  
**Raven Note**  
  
**Pilot**: Alexander Lavelle Harris

**Callsign**: Paladin

**Primary Core**: Desperado


	2. Prelude To Graduation

AN: I do know that the prologue was confusing, but other than the opening quote, it alternates back and forth between a fight between Xander and Ares to Xanders thoughts the day before he would reveal his true self to the Scooby Gang. This part does seem to put Buffy in a bad light, but it is from the view of someone who feels as if he has been betrayed by his friends. After the incident where Angel pretended to be Angelus to test Faith, Xander decided that he was better off without the others, he's hurting and is out to prove something to the others, showing them just what he can really do, and why he seemed normal. There are a few changes to what actually happened after that, most of which will be explained as they come up, from there on out it's a whole new world.

X-Over-I will continue working on most of my other fics as soon as my laptop is fixed. The only fic that's multichapter that I've given up on are Bladeborn: Of Fairies And Psions as well as Dragon Masters, Bladeborn because of all the negative feedback I got from it and Dragon Masters because it just seemed to get rather pathetic at the time.Dragons Destiny is on hold until I get other things done, I'm just getting no ideas for it at the moment. 8-Bit Xander may get a few more chapters with him as other characters from the comic. Along Came A Bunny is finished though, it's a one shot that I won't expand.  
  
xXx

_"I have been entrusted with the secrets of the past, ones that even the watchers believe to be only a myth. Hell, if I didn't keep the mask of the jester to keep my allies from suspecting the truth, I'd have one up on the G-man. One of my recent hobbies has been to look for references to the Cores in his books, but even then he still suspects only that I have strange way of looking at things. My family has had several laughs at the depictions of a couple observed duels and battles involving Armored Cores and Ravens through the centuries."  
  
-From the Journals of Alexander Lavelle Harris, Callsign Paladin_  
  
xXx

The night was wet and windy, he had been tracking the two slayers as they stalked each other in the night.  
  
His cousin was waiting nearby with a chopper, a reconfigured black hawk that had been acquired through some trades and deals with a government sponsored Raven group. The government liked having Ravens about, at least the US government did, at least when they didn't have to cover up some duels gone bad that ended up making a city seem like the set for a Gundam episode or something.  
  
Xander had made arrangements to get Faith out of dodge, he owed at least that much to her. He planned on joining her as soon as graduation was over.  
  
He was dressed in black combat gear with weapons strapped on all over, he was not aiming to kill either slayer, but he would if he had to, this fiasco had to end, and quickly.  
  
He also wanted to deal with the Watchers council, it was the other part of the deal his parents had worked out in the trade with the military team, two part shards for two things, one was to get the escape set up and handled for Faith, and the other was to let him have a piece of his mind with the council of bastards as he had taken to calling the Watchers Council after he had researched what had happened with Faith.  
  
It appalled him at what those sick worms had done to her in the first place, and then when a young girl who felt unloved received care, albeit from an enemy source, to plan to eliminate her rather than help her.  
  
He had already dealt with the team that showed up to deal with Buffy, their private landing strip was paid a visit to by a pair of Ravens out for blood as they prepared to take off, they left no survivors, only a burning stretch of land.  
  
Xander smiled slightly as he powered up the depth scan function of his helmet, the world being overlaid with neon green lines marking the contours of his surroundings.  
  
The gear he wore was based off of the same spells and technology that the Armored Cores were, but not as effective as the massive forms, nor as advanced.  
  
He saw the blond slayer running along, searching for something, well, more precisely someone, Faith.  
  
His own hunt for the dark slayer going nowhere, he opted to follow his friend, but he was going to be ready, he brought up the dart rifle and moved. The armor he was wearing was graceful, his skills in handling Desperado transferring easily to the new power armor with little being worthless about it.  
  
"Paladin to Reaper," he said into the comms unit, linking him up with one of the other Ravens in town, this one a close ally.  
  
"Reaper here," the calm voice of Aryana Grey, a girl that had reminded him of Willow to an extent during training, but with the focus on tactics and military history rather than the normal school subjects, of course, his own knowledge didn't help him that much either, "Go ahead Paladin, Hawk wants an update on the hunt for the rogue slayer."  
  
"Tell him I'm on it," Xander responded, annoyed by the fact that their own comms gear worked better than that of the chopper, "The blond is nearby, she looks like she has an idea where our girl is."  
  
"Do you need backup Paladin?"  
  
"I can handle one bottle blond quite easily thank you," he chuckled, "The armor balances the scales in it."  
  
"Roger that, Hawk says to trigger your beacon as soon as you spot the quarry, she's as valuable to us as she is to you," the girl chuckled, her voice filled with mirth, "Unfortunately, a situation has developed."  
  
"Don't leave me hanging here Reaper," he shot back, "One girl throwing me is enough."  
  
"Oh, sounds like a story to that one Paladin," she laughed before her tone shifted to a deadly serious one, "But we have a retrieval team on sight at a disturbance two blocks from you, seems like your little girl has been very naughty, there is also a SWAT team on route, I'll try to get them diverted, but it will take some time, deal with the tweed boys."  
  
"I copy Reaper," Xander said with a smirk, so the Watchers council wanted to play some more, well they just walked into a group of hunting Ravens that they're already in the outs with, "If you can't get them diverted, stall them, meet me at the park, that seems to be the best place."  
  
"Roger, I'll tell Hawk of the meeting point," she responded, "Angel says that she'll provide cover if you need it."  
  
Xander suppressed an involuntary shudder, "I have got to convince her that she needs a new callsign, the other one with the name isn't someone I want associated with my mother."  
  
"I know, but she's had the name since she got her Core Crystal," Aryana muttered, "Reaper out!"  
  
Xander leaped and triggered the jump jets, leaping forty feet in a single move, but unfortunately attracting Buffy's attention in the process.

xXx   
  
The black armor landed on a tree branch with barely a rustle as he added infrared to the helms display, the commando teams standing out as did Faith, but he had tagged her with a designator in the computer.  
  
Xander shrugged his shoulders as he counted two dozen armed men moving through the woods, "Where do the tweed boys find these jokers."  
  
He switched to the more lethal weapons in his arsenal after firing a dart into the dark slayer to keep her out of the fight, the watchers getting wary, but they had no clue what Paladin had planned for them.  
  
A devise on the wrist whirred as it armed, a small laser designator burning through the sky to glow a dot on a watchers forehead that could only be seen through the helmet or by one with special lenses.  
  
He fired a barrage of bladed disks, each an inch in diameter but razor sharp all around fired at nearly the speed of sound, the target dropping in a spray of blood.  
  
That was the beginning of the end as he leaped from cover, firing from both gauntlets in rapid fire succession, five more bursts, a total of three from each, but eight more dead by that strike.  
  
The watchers scattered in a panic, instinctively taking cover as nearly a third their number fell dead in a matter of seconds, a black form landing with a heavy impact in the center, standing protectively over their target.  
  
Xander armed the pulse rifle, a weapon similar to the Karasawa he favored in his Desperado, but with a faster recharge rate at its current setting, ready for simple protection rather than the charmed, heavy armor of the Armored Cores.  
  
He fired as the jets kicked in as he fired a pair of unguided rockets through the British pests, leaving only three survivors of the volleys.  
  
"Now to finish this," Xander said as he saw them charge him, and a feral grin crossed his lips, "Play time has just begun!"  
  
They got within a yard of him before he moved again, biding his time, ready for what he would do.  
  
His beam saber triggered, tearing through the nearest, his head simply ceasing to exist save for as acrid smoke, the body dropping to the ground with the neck cauterized.  
  
"Take that," he chuckled as he struck again, finishing the fight as the steady tempo of the chopper came into hearing range, the lights focusing on him and Faith.  
  
"Paladin, this is Hawk, settling in for retrieval, but you have one more hostile, the blond seems to have followed your trail."  
  
"Roger that Hawk, be prepared for immediate dustoff, I'll deal with the brat."  
  
"I'll get her loaded up and strapped in for you," Reaper said as she cleared the trees, "The cops are five minutes out, but they will be recalled in just a bit more than that."  
  
Xander nodded, "Signal me when your ready, then go to twenty feet, I can land inside from there, I just need a short jaunt to throw off he scent."  
  
"Roger that boss," Hawk chuckled, "Will do!"  
  
The blond slayer burst from the trees at him as he stood his ground, blade deactivated, Reaper loading the other slayer.  
  
"So the blond wants to party," he said as he turned his head to her, eyes glowing crimson, he triggered the external speakers, "Stand down or you will be dealt with."  
  
She looked shocked, but she tightened her grip on the weapon she was holding.  
  
"You and what army," Buffy snapped back as she lunged at him.  
  
"This one," Xander responded coldly, grabbing her by the wrist and spinning her around and away to land in the dirt, "And I have a few more moves."  
  
She struck with a haymaker that made an audible noise on impact, the metal not budging, but the bang was heard as was the sound of bones breaking in her hand.  
  
"To bad, so sad," he commented as he sent her flying.  
  
"Paladin, we are clear," Hawk chimed over the comms, the chopper leaving the ground.  
  
"So you do what with the murderer," Buffy roared as she spotter the craft take to the air.  
  
"Look around you," Xander snapped, "Those tweed boys are the real murderers, warn your watcher that he's being watched."  
  
He leaped skywards, the jump jets guiding him to land in the open side just before the doors sealed and the black craft vanished into the sky.  
  
A small genuine smile crossed his lips as he glanced at Faiths sleeping form, he removed the helmet of the armor and visibly relaxed.  
  
"Well Paladin, your parents are at the fortress for the night, you're asked to join them, those of us who are remaining here will be planning tomorrow, so it's in your best interest to come."  
  
"I'm in," he said with a frown, "Just make sure that Faiths okay."  
  
She nodded back.

xXx   
  
Back in the park, a red clad man in a trench coat watched the chopper. His planning and plotting was finally coming to completion, his foe would be defeated and destroyed, but first the games tomorrow was just the distraction for the next move he would make. Only a few more moves before checkmate.

xXx

**Core Notes**

**Raven**: Aryana Bethany Grey

**Callsign**: Reaper

**Primary Core**: Artemis


	3. Challenge Of A Ninebreaker

AN: This story won't be very long, around nine or ten chapters, but I may continue it if I get ideas, mainly because I'm not sure if I want to risk a maniac like Leos Klein on the loose in the universe, he was bad enough in AC2.  
  
xXx  
  
Xander waited, he held the core crystal in his palm, preparing for what was to come. Everything was set up for this, he was among the students waiting for graduation to begin.  
  
He carried only a few weapons under his robe, but he did still wear the uniform of a Raven beneath it.  
  
Then the transformation began and Buffy started shouting orders.  
  
He dropped the microphone, "Paladin to team, it begins, all units, let's rock!"  
  
Then he held the glowing stone out, its power rushing through him as the robe and cap dropped to the ground.  
  
"Paladin activation sequence, passcode, fallen star," he said in an even tone, the light growing around him, students scattering as he felt it forming around him.  
  
"Roger that Paladin, we'll keep the perimeter secure, assuming guard command, deal with the filthy pest!"  
  
"Thanks Reaper!"  
  
Desperado activated entirely as the parts cycled before him, letting him select the ones he desired, "Primary weapon, Karasawa, Melee Weapon, Moonlight and shield, all others at standard!"  
  
The black Armored Core activated, eyes glowing blood red.  
  
"Now then, let's end this," he whispered, triggering the external speakers, "Attention hostile, surrender or be destroyed!"  
  
The mayor dropped the principal before he could eat him, turning to face the giant machine that stood against him.  
  
"Paladin, don't taunt the loser, slay the loser!" Angel chimed in, "And don't tell your dad I said this, but kick the bastards ass!"  
  
"I copy mom," Xander shot back, jets carrying him upwards as the snake lunged at him.  
  
He leveled the Karasawa and fired a pair of shots that tore through his foe.  
  
"Naughty little mayor," he quipped, "Attacking a Raven like that, you will be punished!"  
  
The Moonlight triggered, extending into the air as he focused and saw the tactical map, the other Ravens waited in Power Armor guarding the entrances, getting everyone out, Buffy and friends stood with an awed watch as the sentinel spun, energy blade cleaving an arm off the monster.  
  
He triggered the boosters, leaping vertically, as he twirled, smashing though a section of the school, getting clear.  
  
"Sayonara," he hissed, the laser cannon lowering into firing position, "Sucker!"  
  
The burst ripped through the raging, former-human, leaving a visible hole in his flesh.  
  
It lunged, knocking the AC backwards, tumbling through what had been the library.  
  
He staggered up to his feet, the laser cannon retracting upwards to the shoulder.  
  
"So you wanna play hardball!" he roared as he spun the moonlight to work against the next charge.  
  
The strike burnt a streak through the monsters side, the acrid stench of burning flesh as he spun into a crouch.  
  
Anger flashed through the pilots face as a snarl crossed his lips, he would have to end this now.  
  
He armed the missile launcher, and waited for tone as he danced backwards.  
  
Xander watched the locks build, a total of twelve.  
  
"Hasta la vista baby!" he snapped as he depressed the firing stud, the swarm of explosives filling the air like bees.  
  
The air itself detonated around the mayor as the hell snake was ripped apart as if made of tissue paper.  
  
"Game over, I win!"  
  
He relaxed, weapons deactivating.  
  
"Desperado, power down," he whispered as a smile crossed his lips, chunks of the mayor raining down around the armored form amidst the burning ruins of the school, "I've done it, I'm a ninebreaker!" 


	4. Past Fallen Stars

AN: With my laptop not functional, I decided to write this out. It happens at the same time as the chapter I'm almost done with there. This begins the folding in of Stargate into it.

X-Over-Thanks, I'm still working on my other fics, things drag me away from them occasionally though

SuperFreak-I plan on continuing this for a bit, mainly its a shot at X/F for it in this one.

SHAWN PROVONCHA-Thanks

xXx

Captain Michel Walker stood watch at the entrance to the underground hanger. He'd been stationed there for a while, guarding the only capital starship constructed as it awaited a final check for its maintenance before it would be re-launched.

He heard a hissing sound like hydraulics and a chattering noise.

"What the," he managed to stammer as several hundred spider like machines rose from the desert sands and moved towards him.

Laser fire lanced through the desert air and Walker was no more than a cooling body on the sands.

xXx

A trio of AC's followed the mechanical creatures as they swarmed through the military troops.

"Coyote to Viper," the lead said with a smile, "Entrance is clear, external defenses neutralized.

"Good, Ares will be pleased, his father will be returned to us soon," Viper laughed, "The transports are inbound to drop off the new crew and ship off our toys."

"Yes, we will rule the system as is the birthright of all Ravens, those fools think that they can protect this world, we will show them our true power."

"Yes, Ares seeks the old core stored off this blue world," the third joined in, "And we shall have our true leader among us once more."

"Yes, the lion will challenge the protector for the nine worlds," Coyote laughed, "We will be there for the end of the age."

"Will Ares do his part or will he fall to his temper again."

"I do not know, but we will walk upon the red world once more as our forefathers did."

"Mars holds the keys to the ancient Cores as the legend says, when upon the rising red planet, the two great ones shall be reborn, the Dragons shall be born once more to duel."

"Unknown AC has entered the combat area," the computer chimed as Hound, the third core detonated.

"What the..."

xXx

The raven codenamed Shogun decloaked, dropping the stealth gear, blades at the ready. He was here under the orders of the military, as a just incase situation that a rogue had discovered the ship.

He had read the tales, the two ancient groups of Ravens, Earth and Mars Corps, had waged a bloody war before Earth won. Those of Mars had tried to conquer everything, Earth wanted to be left alone.

He was a melee fighter with everything ready for stealth and fighting.

Somehow these maniacs had mixed alien technology with the ancient Martian robots called Disorder Units. He'd seen what a Replicator was, and this hybrid was something far worse, but without the rogues controlling them, they wouldn't operate and fall apart.

He had to stop these maniacs from stealing the Prometheus.

xXx

The two AC's closed on the new one who retaliated with a burst from the weapon on the shoulder which shorted out their systems as he lunged, cleaving one in half just below the arms and getting clear of retaliation as the other, the one with the pilot Coyote, lunged into the melee.

The desert erupted into flames as the blades met in a shower of emerald sparks.

The grinding of gears grew before they split apart, dust clouding both of their vision.

Shogun fired his other shoulder weapon as he saw Coyote charged, twenty missiles shredded the core and he leaned back, gasping for air, it was ove...

"AC Headhunter has entered the combat area, AC Catalyst has entered the combat area, AC Stein has entered the combat area..."

The alarms of missile locks chimed as the warning lights flashed, three hundred AC's had locks on him.

"God in heaven," he whispered, praying for a quick end.

Fortunately for him, he got it.


	5. Broken Places

AN: This story is something else to write, more things from various mecha series is supporting my mix of Buffy and Armored Core. It just keeps giving me ideas that fon't fit the story as well. Anyway, this one took a while to write, it happens simultaniously with the last chapter. Though I wish someone had reviewed the last part.

xXx

"Paladin, Reaper here," came the familiar voice, "We have a transport inbound in fifteen, be on the bounce, the area is secure, but your friends are gonna be near you in five."

"Well, I can't ask for everything now can I?"

An alarm filled the frequency.

"Good god," Reaper whispered.

"What?"

"We have intruders, at least one enemy Raven, they're heading for the medical facility!" she responded.

"The medical facility, the only one there is..." Xander whispered, "They're after Faith!"

"I'll direct all security teams there, we need to keep the nest secure!"

"Hurry the evac, Ravens on the first only then the techies and others, we should be ale to reach and trap our foes inside the base."

"Roger, all pilots heading for the retrieval," a gasp followed, "Hawk..."

"What happened?"

"He...he's gone, I got visual, security transferred control to the mission control center, I just saw seven Cores take down Hawk and Titan."

"Damn it, I feel so helpless!" Paladin grunted as he went through his options, "Belay my pickup, I'll be onsite in three minutes!"

"How?"

"Just make sure that the military team realizes I'm not challenging the rules, we need to deal with the rogues, make sure they know my new title in the transmission, it should definitely let them know that I've not gone rogue."

"What?"

"Trust me," Xander said as he held up his core crystal, "Armored Core Desperado, activate, pilot authorization Paladin!"

He flipped through the gear instantly, arming only with the Samurai blades and dumping everything else into power supply, reduced weight and cooling.

"Let's see how fast I can move," he said as worked at one of the panels, flipping a switch that revealed the breaker switches for the safety systems and flipped a pair of them, "Limiter disabled, and lets boost!"

He floored it and powered the overboost, engines flaring into a roar as he rocketed straight for the base with a sixty foot burn behind him.

xXx

Reaper watched as she leaned back, fighting against the urge to rush from the Nests control room. She had been left to the comms array to keep everything going at the school while Paladin, Angel, and three other Ravens played hero to the city.

Now she was stuck in the command station for the duration, the other two remaining Raven's were holding positions to cover the medical unit and the hanger complex. The other troopers, namely two units of marines on 'loan' from the military in exchange for use of the repair facilities their Raven unit needed.

They were outnumbered by at least a dozen to one, and they weren't looking to minimize damage.

Of the Ravens still here other than her, Guardian was working with the Technomancers to bring his Core back online, he'd run one mission in South America two days earlier and wound up with a lot of damage for it, he'd only just gotten healed up enough to walk, meaning that he wouldn't much help in the fight even if his core would be battle capable in time. Faulk was closing in through the air ducts to ambush the enemy.

Her mind was still fixated on the nineteen cores moving against them. Hawk and Titan were dead, their cores vanished on the ground, corpses laying on the ground amidst the faintly glowing Core Crystals and Part Shards.

A glance at the tracking display showed Paladin coming, and her eyes nearly fell out of their sockets as she saw the speed it was registering.

"Paladin," she snapped into the comms array, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Overboost plus limiter release," came the calm response, "Anything new to report?"

"Well, there are only three active Ravens, two already in combat and the third circling to strike our enemies where they least expect it, but we've lost two Hawk and Titan, the transport is in the process of picking up the others," she responded, "And I can't help."

"Open the hatch for me, I'm coming in!"

"Roger," Reaper muttered as she heard a banging noise, "It's open, but I've got a problem, their breaking through the blast doors!"

"Suit up, and get clear, do not risk yourself, we already have two dead," Xander ordered as he touched ground.

She nodded and stepped onto the two foot shaped plates along the wall and hit the activation button, the armor locking around her.

The three yard long smart rifle lowered into her grip as she stood in position behind the desk, the Mark II Power Armor was still in development but had been tested against munitions up to those on battleships. The problem came from smaller weapons though, the armor couldn't hold out long and stay powered, but by god, she would take as many of these jokers down with her as she could.

The helmet's scans counted down the doors integrity as the shields shimmered into existence.

Then the door broke and she pulled the firing stud.

That's when the screams started.

xXx

Xander triggered the Core once more inside the complex, Desperado was still slightly smoking from the heat of the over boost, the cooling systems pumping liquid nitrogen through the boosters and other systems.

He armed his standard mix, ditching the heavy weaponry he had used against the Mayor in exchange for the stealth unit added to his Karasawa and Moonlight.

The energy blade shimmered as it activated, the weapon moving as he joined the fray, blade flashing through the air like a whirlwind, as the laser rifle fired at the lights, the room dropping into an eerie darkness lit only by flashes of energy blade, explosions, sparks of bullets against steel, and laser bursts.

The part of Xanders mind that held fragments of his possession by the hyena ignited within him, the thrill of the fight that drove him. His eyes flashed for a moment as his reflexes triggered in the boosted mode, the magic enhancing the machine he used drawing out his full potential through it.

It was in this mode, the instincts in charge, that had earned him a second callsign, one that terrified many of even the oldest Ravens since the fight he had had with twelve foes at once after the hyena during an incident in Australia.

He was called a short word, only five letters long and told what it meant quite plainly. It was not a curse word, but a noun, but it fit what his foes saw in him when he was like this.

Death.

xXx

Vengeance moved backwards as he saw the new cores symbol blaze for a moment as it shifted, the calm and collected voice of the spirit of the core telling him that a new Raven had entered the combat zone. The tone of voice designed to calm the Raven did not work its magic at this threat though.

He felt cold as four Ravens died in a shower of sparks as the symbol vanished from the HUD as well as his visuals.

"Shit!" he screamed as he backpedaled, seeing the other members of his squad go down to the Raven that seemed like a demon made into one of them.

Fulcrum went down as the core was cleaved cleanly in two, dissolving and returning to its crystal form, the corpse was little more than the limbs, the blade vaporizing the head and most of the torso.

Shade backtracked, all three of the heavy chain guns blazing wildfire, one on each shoulder and a far larger one in a two handed grip though it still seemed to dwarf the mechanical armor.

A single laser blast dropped the female Raven in her tracks as her targeting subsystems went haywire from something that went with the shot. Then her Core was impaled, the blade carving downwards from one shoulder and out the other side.

Vengeance activated the Moonlight he carried and intercepted a strike that came at him. The two blades hovered, both pushing at full strength.

The Raven howled as he pushed as far as he could.

Both weapons were equal, the problem was that Vengeance's AC's arm wasn't that strong and began to squeal in protest as it distorted.

"What the hell are you?" Vengeance roared as the elbow joint of his core gave, the metal fragmenting as the blade fizzed off just before Death's Moonlight ended all thought in his head and the blackness took him in searing pain.

xXx

Xander watched the last of his foes read guard fall as he signaled Faulk as he dropped from the ducts, his symbol fading back to his normal one.

"So, how many do we have left?" he asked as he triggered the recharge for the Karasawa and Stealth units.

"Not quite sure, my sensors picked up a carrier coming out of cloak a mile out three minutes ago, not sure if it's for pickup or delivery."

"Either way, it's not good," Paladin responded, "Pickup means they're on their way out and we've lost a whole lot, delivery means we have more to worry about and the thing is definitely not on our side, a rogue."

"How do you know that?"

"It's not broadcasting an IFF," the black haired one responded as he brought Desperado around to cover the door, "You go and set it up, use the heaviest weapons you've got and set up to take it down, I'll work my way inwards to deal with the rest of these bastards."

"Roger that," Faulk said as he moved off, the massive and heavily armed core making a light grinding noise as its treads moved, "Just don't have to much fun with them, I don't need more screams in my nightmares."

"Will do Matthew," the new Ninebreaker responded.

Emerald markings calculated the energy his Core could access as the Generator hummed in his ear, "I've got only a little damage, one piece of shrapnel managed to cut some of the sound proofing between the internal systems and the cockpit shielding."

A snarl crossed his lips as he moved, the repair circuits coming online as he surveyed his surroundings, his mind knowing that these bastards had much to pay for.

He triggered the door to the launch room and hanger, and it wouldn't open.

xXx

Reaper fired the weapon, the air filling with the screams of her enemies. The heavy weapon she carried clicked empty as she charged. The muscle enhancements of the armor carried her like a freight train into the hallway.

The five thousand pound armor turned three of her foes into a stain on the far wall as she snatched the weapons of two of them and fired them in both directions, tearing through her foes like a raging bull.

In her mind she knew that this was an impossible situation, before the camera had gone dead, she had counted fifty-seven of them with more coming.

The roar of weapons fire filled her ears as pain tore through her and she screamed as the blackness took her.

xXx

An explosion drew Xanders attention and he the digital map of the base as a section of the wall blinked out, the infirmary had been breached, he was too late, it was showing his enemies leaving.

"Boss, they're all gone," Faulk said slowly, "They used the transport, one of them was carrying something when they left the medical wing."


End file.
